Ex-yakuza suspected in drug smuggling ring extradited from China after 7 years on run

Tokyo Reporter Staff

8 months ago

Tokyo police arrested Ichiro Kiyose on drug smuggling charges prior to his his arrival at Haneda Airport on Monday

TOKYO (TR) – A former organized crime member suspected in the smuggling of 1,500 kilograms of stimulant drugs has been extradited to Japan from China after seven years on the run, reports NHK (June 26).

On Monday, Ichiro Kiyose, a 64-year-old former member of the Kyokuto-kai, was arrested over Japanese air space for violating the Stimulants Control Law. He arrived at Haneda Airport at around 6:00 p.m. on a flight from China.

According to police, the suspect allegedly smuggled 9 kilograms of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, valued at around 650 million yen, through the postal mail from Taiwan to a construction company office in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture in September of 2010.

During questioning, Kiyose admitted to the allegations.

After the alleged crime, police obtained a warrant for the arrest of the suspect, who then fled Japan for China. Kiyose was apprehended for immigration violations in Shandong Province in China last week.

According to Nippon News Network (June 26), Kiyose is believed to have been involved in the smuggling of 1,500 kilograms of kakuseizai from Taiwan and China over a three-year period.